Adria Benjamin:

A viola teacher and conductor at Merrywood, Adria has been a longtime member of Orchestra Lumos’s viola section and serves as the orchestra’s personnel manager.  She has worked at the Mannes College Preparatory Division teaching viola, chamber music, and conducting the orchestra.

Margi Kugelman Hofer:

A viola student at Merrywood, Margi is currently the Executive Director of the Coby Foundation (www.cobyfoundation.org) as well as an Independent Curator (www.margihofer.com).  She has written and published several books, including: A New Light on Tiffany: Clara Driscoll and the Tiffany Girls; Making it Modern: the Folk Art Collection of Elie and Viola Nadelman; Stories in Sterling: Four Centuries of Silver in New York; and The Games We Played: the Golden Age of Board and Table Games.  She currently lives in NYC with her husband Andrew.  She has 3 adult sons and one grandson.  To this day, she still plays the viola and enjoys playing chamber music.

Anna Kuwabara:

A violin student at Merrywood, Anna is now lives in NY and is an arts and education consultant.

Nick Rozen:

A trumpet student at Merrywood, he earned his Master’s degree in Engineering.  Now an aerospace engineer, he works for a non-profit research organization.  He married a “lovely woman from Ireland” with whom he has children.  He notes that “music was good for my brain and soul.  I’m still not a ‘great’ player but I’ve at least had some fun playing jazz and classical.  Still noodling around.  Still love jazz, which Mrs. Hurwitz barely tolerated.”

Ilene Stahl:

A clarinet student at Merrywood, Ilene is now the featured clarinetist of the Klezmer Conservatory Band and is the clarinetist and leader of Klezperanto (www.klexperanto.com).  She has had the pleasure of teaching many students over the years, including at KlezKamp in NY, at KlezKanada, and privately.  While still a student at Hampshire College, she won a position in the Klezmer Conservatory Band in 1987.  With KCB, Ilene has performed extensively throughout the United States and internationally.  She has been featured on radio and TV broadcasts, including them Great Performances programs “In the Fiddler’s Echo,” “Eternal Echoes,” and “Rejoice” with Itzhak Perlman.  She is a soloist in Perlman’s ongoing concert touring klezmer ensemble.  Her musical theater experience includes the world premiere of the American Repertory Theater’s production of Shlemiel the First and Borschtcapades with Joel Grey.  Ilene is known for her passionate performance style as well as her soulful interpretations of traditional Yiddish music.  In 1999, she and some of Boston’s most acclaimed klezmer musicians formed Klezperanto to expand the possibilities of Yiddish and Mediterranean melodies.

Louise Zeitlin:

A violin student at Merrywood, Louise now also plays the viola.  She is an Associate Professor of Community Engagement at Oberlin College and Director of the Oberlin Community Music School (Oberlin.edu/community-music-school).

Barbara Chaffe:
https://www.sanfranciscoballetorchestra.org/barbara-chaffe-principal-flute/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RfEXqCp5dk

Cathy Chutich;
https://music.apple.com/us/artist/cathy-chutich/403464009

Adria Benjamin:
https://www.newschool.edu/mannes/faculty/Adria-Benjamin/
https://orchestralumos.org/musicians
https://www.feenotes.com/database/artists/benjamin-adria/

Cindy Betancourt-Smith:
https://digital.library.in.gov/Record/BSU_photo-29675
https://dmr.bsu.edu/digital/collection/MusCnrtEvnt/id/9844/

Anne Black:
https://emmanuelmusic.org/personnel/anne-black
https://proarte.org/profiles/anne-black
https://www.dinosaurannex.org/anneblack
https://handelandhaydn.org/about/musicians/orchestra-and-chorus/anne-black/
https://artsarlington.org/featured-artist-anne-black/

Shira Cion:
https://www.kitka.org
https://www.youtube.com/user/Kitka

Phillip Keoghan:
www.philkeoghan.com

Sean Lyons:
https://lyonsjazz.com/bio